There are many careers that I could have chosen when I came to college, but I believe that deciding to become a teacher will be one of the most rewarding decisions of my life. There is much more to being a teacher than just simply relaying information from a specific content area to the students. A teacher is also a role model and someone who can truly make a difference in the students life. It is the teachers job to not only teach the students about their specific content area, but also teaching them lessons about life along the way. A teacher has to act as a professional at all times, and remember that they must always set a positive example for the students. There are three topics that will describe my teaching philosophy, being an enthusiastic teacher, being consistent, and showing the students that you care about them.
Being enthusiastic as a teacher is definitely one of the important keys to my philosophy of teaching. It is important for me as the teacher to show how much I enjoy the topic of Science, and try to get the students to enjoy the topic as much as possible. Science is a topic that many students dread it High School or Middle School. Many times students ask the question of " How does Science effect my life at all???" and feel like the information they are being taught isn't important to their survival of everyday life. As a teacher I will use many lessons which will directly show the students on how science can and does effect their lives. I will be using all of Gardner's Eight Intelligences in my class, to ensure that I will be able to connect with all of the different types of learners in my classroom. For Kinesthetic learners I would do a lesson on how increasing ones activity will cause the humans heart rate to increase. This will allow the students to learn about heart rates and help them grasp concepts of blood flow into the heart. For Visual learners i could have them create a map of the certain niches of animals in the desert. These are just a few ideas of how different techniques would be used in my classroom, this way all students will have a chance to succeed. Hopefully by getting the students minds thinking in many different ways will allow them to understand and be able to apply their new knowledge to use outside of my classroom.
I also feel that being consistent throughout the year as a teacher is key to the success of a classroom. Teachers must be consistent with their grading, their rules in the classroom, and also with your attitude towards the students. It is important to be consistent with their grading because a student needs to have guidelines which they can follow to let them know how they will be graded on each task. It is important to not let students past brilliant or poor work affect the way that you grade their future work. Each assignment is a clean slate for the students, in which as a teacher I will keep an open mind about their work regardless on the students past performances. Consistency with rules in the classroom as well as the school is also a key factor to a students success. It is important for the students to know and understand the rules of the class, and that these rules be enforced strictly in order for them to be taken seriously. Finally my attitude towards teaching must be consistent to enhance the students learning experience. It is important as a teacher for me to give my best effort each and every time I step into the classroom. Being a role model and an influence in these students lives is something that shouldn't be taken lightly.
Being a teacher who cares about students lives in and out of the classroom is definitely an excellent way to gain the students respect. Students will appreciate you as a teacher if you are always willing to give that extra effort to help the students understand the material. Whether this be a few minutes after class, or staying after school to help tutor a struggling students, if you show you are willing to help then they are more likely to put in a stronger effort in your class. One way to show student that you care about their success is by setting goals. Goals must be set by both the teachers as well as the students and after these goals are set it is important look back at the goals and evaluate if they have been accomplished or not. Many times students make goals, but they are never forced to look back at the expectations which they had for themselves, this leads to them quickly forgetting about what their goals for the quarter were.
Another aspect of teachers which I failed to mention when I originally created my rationale is teachers must be great motivators. Just because you are enthusiastic about learning, are consistent with grading, and care about your students doesn't necessarily mean that all students are going to succeed. For some students these three aspects of teachers will be enough for them to gain knowledge and become better citizens, but there are other students which will need far more motivation than this. The goal of the teacher is to try to have a 100% graduation rate from their class. Although this may be a lofty goal in some districts, teachers must always try their hardest to motivate their students no matter how difficult or unmotivated those particular students may be. To motivate students is a skill which takes time to learn, but is definitely critical to being a successful teacher. Not all students want to learn, it is the job of the teacher to show the students how important learning is to each students future.
Overall being enthusiastic about science, being consistent in the classroom, and showing the students I care are three ways in which I will have a successful classroom atmosphere. It is this atmosphere which I hope will excite students to come to my class. I will try to motivate the students to want to succeed in science and make the students enjoy coming to science class. Whether it be school, hobbies, or work, most people like being places where they get enjoyment. Professionals always say, get a job that you enjoy someday because if you don't enjoy your job you will be miserable. This will be the same for school for children who dislike their classes. It is important for the teacher to use these 4 aspects of teaching (enthusiasm, caring, motivating and consistency) to make their classroom a place where students want to be. I will take my job of being a teacher extremely seriously because I have realized how important teachers have been in my life. Every student has that teacher who has influenced them in their life and that they will never forget, and I hope that by fulfilling my duties as a teacher I will have this impact on my students someday in the near future.
Before observing the classrooms in my EDC 430 class, I had very little experience in the classroom. I had this picture of how I wanted my classroom to work, and of course it involved all of the students being on their best behavor and eager to learn. While observing the classrooms which I will soon be taking over, I realized that not all students want to learn, and some students simply don't care at all. As a teacher it will be important for me to try to get these students to understand the importance of learning, as well as how critical a good education can be for enhancing the students way of life. As a teacher you have to step back and realize the importance of your job. You are not there to simply collect a pay check, you are their trying to educate and mold young minds. So when I am teaching my classroom, I don't simply want to be a teacher. I want to be a TEACHER, a MOTIVATOR, and most importantly a GUIDING INFLUENCE in the students lives.
Another aspect about teaching which is critical to the survival of any young teacher is organization. Being in front of the class is only a part of what being a teacher actually is. You have to be able to organize your year and plan out what topics are necessary to cover. Also creating a system in which students will always be able to know what they missed for class. This can be done on a weekly calendar, or maybe even on a Wikispace, it is just important to try to cut down on the amount of time that gets wasted in the beginning of class trying to catch up students who were absent. Organization also consists of planning your weeks ahead of time. If as a beginning teacher you can have your weeks planned out so you know what you are doing, then your life as a teacher will be much more enjoyable. If you are constantly planning for the next day then you will always be stressed out, and when the teacher is stressed out, it gets taken out on the students. As a teacher I want to be extremely organized so not only can I keep my sanity, but also to help promote a healthy and stress free learning environment for my students.
Being enthusiastic as a teacher is definitely one of the important keys to my philosophy of teaching. It is important for me as the teacher to show how much I enjoy the topic of Science, and try to get the students to enjoy the topic as much as possible. Science is a topic that many students dread it High School or Middle School. Many times students ask the question of " How does Science effect my life at all???" and feel like the information they are being taught isn't important to their survival of everyday life. As a teacher I will use many lessons which will directly show the students on how science can and does effect their lives. I will be using all of Gardner's Eight Intelligences in my class, to ensure that I will be able to connect with all of the different types of learners in my classroom. For Kinesthetic learners I would do a lesson on how increasing ones activity will cause the humans heart rate to increase. This will allow the students to learn about heart rates and help them grasp concepts of blood flow into the heart. For Visual learners i could have them create a map of the certain niches of animals in the desert. These are just a few ideas of how different techniques would be used in my classroom, this way all students will have a chance to succeed. Hopefully by getting the students minds thinking in many different ways will allow them to understand and be able to apply their new knowledge to use outside of my classroom.
I also feel that being consistent throughout the year as a teacher is key to the success of a classroom. Teachers must be consistent with their grading, their rules in the classroom, and also with your attitude towards the students. It is important to be consistent with their grading because a student needs to have guidelines which they can follow to let them know how they will be graded on each task. It is important to not let students past brilliant or poor work affect the way that you grade their future work. Each assignment is a clean slate for the students, in which as a teacher I will keep an open mind about their work regardless on the students past performances. Consistency with rules in the classroom as well as the school is also a key factor to a students success. It is important for the students to know and understand the rules of the class, and that these rules be enforced strictly in order for them to be taken seriously. Finally my attitude towards teaching must be consistent to enhance the students learning experience. It is important as a teacher for me to give my best effort each and every time I step into the classroom. Being a role model and an influence in these students lives is something that shouldn't be taken lightly.
Being a teacher who cares about students lives in and out of the classroom is definitely an excellent way to gain the students respect. Students will appreciate you as a teacher if you are always willing to give that extra effort to help the students understand the material. Whether this be a few minutes after class, or staying after school to help tutor a struggling students, if you show you are willing to help then they are more likely to put in a stronger effort in your class. One way to show student that you care about their success is by setting goals. Goals must be set by both the teachers as well as the students and after these goals are set it is important look back at the goals and evaluate if they have been accomplished or not. Many times students make goals, but they are never forced to look back at the expectations which they had for themselves, this leads to them quickly forgetting about what their goals for the quarter were.
Another aspect of teachers which I failed to mention when I originally created my rationale is teachers must be great motivators. Just because you are enthusiastic about learning, are consistent with grading, and care about your students doesn't necessarily mean that all students are going to succeed. For some students these three aspects of teachers will be enough for them to gain knowledge and become better citizens, but there are other students which will need far more motivation than this. The goal of the teacher is to try to have a 100% graduation rate from their class. Although this may be a lofty goal in some districts, teachers must always try their hardest to motivate their students no matter how difficult or unmotivated those particular students may be. To motivate students is a skill which takes time to learn, but is definitely critical to being a successful teacher. Not all students want to learn, it is the job of the teacher to show the students how important learning is to each students future.
Overall being enthusiastic about science, being consistent in the classroom, and showing the students I care are three ways in which I will have a successful classroom atmosphere. It is this atmosphere which I hope will excite students to come to my class. I will try to motivate the students to want to succeed in science and make the students enjoy coming to science class. Whether it be school, hobbies, or work, most people like being places where they get enjoyment. Professionals always say, get a job that you enjoy someday because if you don't enjoy your job you will be miserable. This will be the same for school for children who dislike their classes. It is important for the teacher to use these 4 aspects of teaching (enthusiasm, caring, motivating and consistency) to make their classroom a place where students want to be. I will take my job of being a teacher extremely seriously because I have realized how important teachers have been in my life. Every student has that teacher who has influenced them in their life and that they will never forget, and I hope that by fulfilling my duties as a teacher I will have this impact on my students someday in the near future.
Before observing the classrooms in my EDC 430 class, I had very little experience in the classroom. I had this picture of how I wanted my classroom to work, and of course it involved all of the students being on their best behavor and eager to learn. While observing the classrooms which I will soon be taking over, I realized that not all students want to learn, and some students simply don't care at all. As a teacher it will be important for me to try to get these students to understand the importance of learning, as well as how critical a good education can be for enhancing the students way of life. As a teacher you have to step back and realize the importance of your job. You are not there to simply collect a pay check, you are their trying to educate and mold young minds. So when I am teaching my classroom, I don't simply want to be a teacher. I want to be a TEACHER, a MOTIVATOR, and most importantly a GUIDING INFLUENCE in the students lives.
Another aspect about teaching which is critical to the survival of any young teacher is organization. Being in front of the class is only a part of what being a teacher actually is. You have to be able to organize your year and plan out what topics are necessary to cover. Also creating a system in which students will always be able to know what they missed for class. This can be done on a weekly calendar, or maybe even on a Wikispace, it is just important to try to cut down on the amount of time that gets wasted in the beginning of class trying to catch up students who were absent. Organization also consists of planning your weeks ahead of time. If as a beginning teacher you can have your weeks planned out so you know what you are doing, then your life as a teacher will be much more enjoyable. If you are constantly planning for the next day then you will always be stressed out, and when the teacher is stressed out, it gets taken out on the students. As a teacher I want to be extremely organized so not only can I keep my sanity, but also to help promote a healthy and stress free learning environment for my students.